Salad Dressing

[debe]

Does anyone know a brand name of salad dressing that your can eat on P1 I live in Canada and I don't think we get the south beach living products by kraft. Are we also allowed cesar dressing?

[Tiny T]

We don't need no stinking SBD products!!!....lol....Don't worry about it...Living in Canada should have no effect on this diet, it will work anywhere in the world!!!...Not sure about everyone else here, but I don't buy any SBD products by Kraft...(other brands are sometimes better for you according to the labels, so read carefully.) I try to eat all fresh foods that I prepare myself. Just because it says SBD on it, dosen't make it better for you than preparing your own...quicker perhaps, but not actually better. (food for thought)

As far as salad dressings... in a nut shell, stick to oil base dressings made with Olive Oil or canola oil. Try to find one with somewhere around 10g. of fat & 3g. or less of sugar per 2 TBSP.

Cesar...Are you talking about oil based, or creamy cesar? A nice 'light' oil base cesar is okay, but I don't recommend any type of 'creamy' dressing...no ranch, no french, no western...they normally full of sugar...even the 'light or fat free' versions of these creamy types always have a lot more sugar than oil based dressings...it's essentially up to you, but I stay away from the creamy types myself.

[RedRox]

I couldn't agree more about avoiding SB branded products! With rare exceptions there are usually better products available for less cost than anything produced as "SB Living" products. You just have to know how to read ingredients and nutritional labels and understand the program basics.

Actually ranch and ceasar are both generally very low in sugars. The issue is usually finding them made with the better heart healthy oils. If out and about, the ubiquitous grilled chicken caesar minus the croutons is usually a fairly safe bet, IMO.

This chart was in a newer version of the good fats good carbs booklet I believe.

Good (can use regularly, w/ "South Beach Diet common sense")
regular Caesar
regular Italian
regular Ranch
regular Russian
regular Thousand Island
regular Balsamic Vinaigrette

The above Good dressings range from 10-16 g of total fat, with no more than 2½ g of saturated fat and an emphasis on good fats.

Limited (no more than once a week)
regular French
regular Blue Cheese
reduced-fat Blue Cheese
reduced-fat Caesar
reduced-fat Italian
reduced-fat Ranch
reduced-fat Russian
reduced-fat Thousand Island

Limited dressings tend to be too sugary (4+ g), too cheesy or creamy, and/or too low in good fats (only 2-9 g of total fat).

Very Limited (once every 2 or 3 months)
reduced-fat French

Avoid
all fat-free dressings

But truthfully I don't know that I've ever seen Russian or Thousand Island that meet the 3 gms or less of sugar guideline, but also don't look for them much either.


And the following was part of an old Daily Dish newsletter from the official site

Dress It Up

This Daily Dish is part of a series on how to read nutrition labels

Knowing how to read a nutrition label can be extremely helpful when choosing a store-bought salad dressing. What's the key to finding a South Beach Diet™-friendly dressing? Again, it's all about the type of fat and amount of added sugar.

Dressings with less than 3 grams of sugar per serving are permitted on The South Beach Diet™.

As for fat content, look for commercial dressings made with heart-healthy monounsaturated fats like olive oil and canola oil. Other vegetable oils are okay, but they don't carry the same health benefits. Be careful of dressings touted as "low-fat" or "nonfat," since manufacturers often add extra sugar to improve the flavor. And always avoid dressings made with hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils.

Olive oil and vinegar make a great salad dressing—the acid in the vinegar helps lower the glycemic load of the meal.

If all else fails, that last line is a good one to remember. You can almost always get oil and vinegar at most restaurants and making your own salad dressing with olive oil, a vinegar of your choice and some herbs/seasonings is ridiculously simple and cheap!

[sandy834]

I have found a good basalmic dressing brand with no sugar. Its from New England Inn Recipes. You really have to read labels. Even what I would consider "good" brands have sugar in some form. I also make my own with the recipe in the book. That's really yummy and fast.

[RedRox]

up to 3 gms of sugar per serving is fine. it doesn't necessarily have to be sugar free.